My How Much You Have Changed
by Ang-ela1
Summary: A sequel to She Grew Up so Fast. It's been 3 years since the war in Koera ended Hawkeye is married and a baby is on the way


My How Much You Have Changed  
  
The year was 1956 and it had been 3 years that Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce was home from duty at the 4077 MASH unit in Korea. He married Sally Loughan the "girl next door." She had promised to wait for him that day when they saw each other at the MASH unit. He was a surgeon and she was a nurse. Sally had been assigned to visit the 4077 to observe the nurses tending to the triage. It was then that Hawkeye discovered that Sally was all grown up; she was no longer that little girl next door.  
  
Hawkeye's dad, Daniel and Sally's mom, Alice also married. They lived next door in the Pierce house while Hawkeye and Sally lived in the Loughan house. Hawkeye set up his practice in the spare room. He had it all, a home, a wonderful wife, his shingle hanging out the front door and a baby on the way. Sally was 8 and ½ months pregnant.  
  
Hawkeye was busy this morning; he had patients sitting in his waiting room. There were about 5 people waiting for the doctor. Hawkeye had hired Mary Collins to be his nurse while Sally was nearing her due date. Sally wanted to remain his nurse until her due date, but Hawkeye wouldn't hear of it. He wanted her to rest. She had assured him that she would rest, after all she would be in her own home and a doctor was near by in case she went into labor. But no, Hawkeye wouldn't buy it. So Mary Collins, a veteran nurse was helping Doctor Pierce. It was getting near noon time and Sally had made Hawkeye some lunch.  
  
"Honey, you know I have patients, I really don't have time for lunch," said Hawkeye.  
  
"Well, guess what, you have one more patient; me." Sally smiled.  
  
"What do you mean? Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine; I just wanted to play doctor."  
  
Hawkeye laughed, "You are bad." They were sitting in one of the examining rooms. Sally came through the back way so no one saw her when she brought in the tray of food for Hawkeye.  
  
"Oh just kiss me," said Sally. They kissed and Hawkeye uncovered the tray. Sally had made sandwiches and there was a glass of milk for her and soda pop for him.  
  
"Did you speak to Peg today?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"Yes, and we are all set to meet her and B.J. at the Hilton in New York City. She also said something about a surprise. I told her we had one too."  
  
"You didn't tell her about the baby did you?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"No silly, we said we wanted to surprise them. She said she spoke to Anne and they will meet us also."  
  
"You know I still can't believe Winchester is married." said Hawkeye as he bit into his sandwich.  
  
"Well why not? He's handsome, he has loads of money; he's a fine doctor and can be a windbag. Everything a woman would want." Sally said.  
  
"So I guess we'll all meet at the Hilton for dinner?"  
  
"Yes, and then in the morning while you men are at the conference we women will be shopping our hearts out."  
  
"Hey, I guess there's no way I can talk you out of coming?"  
  
"Not on your life buster. Ouch!" Sally cried.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Your child just kicked me," she said as she took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "This kid just might make the football team."  
  
"What a kick. Did I tell you how much I love you?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"In everything you do." Sally kissed him and said, "Hey you better finish up and see the rest of your patients. We have to leave here by 1 PM if we want to meet our friends for dinner."  
  
"Yes mother. Thanks for lunch."  
  
"I'll finish packing and yes I promise not to lift the luggage, it'll be waiting for you upstairs." Sally said as she left him to finish his lunch.  
  
Meanwhile in California, B.J and Peg were packing and getting Erin ready for a stay with her grandparents. B.J's folks promised to take Erin for the few days that they would be in New York. It was just as well since Peg was 8 ½ months pregnant with their second child. B.J's mom thought it would be a good idea to take Erin so Peg would be able to enjoy herself and rest.  
  
"So you spoke to Sally this morning?" B.J asked.  
  
"Yes I did and we are all set to meet for dinner tonight. We have to get moving if we're going to make our plane," said Peg.  
  
"You didn't tell her about the baby did you?"  
  
"No, you said you wanted to surprise them. B.J don't worry, I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure you're up to making this trip?"  
  
"It's not like this is my first baby, darling, I'll be fine. Besides there will be so many doctors at this conference that if I needed one all I would have to do is whistle.  
  
"Did you speak to Anne?"  
  
"Yes, now stop worrying everything will be fine." Peg assured him.  
  
B.J finished the packing just in time. There was a honk of a horn, the cab was there to pick them up and take them to the airport. B.J hadn't seen Hawkeye since the war was over. He wondered if he changed much.  
  
And in Boston, Charles Emerson Winchester 3rd was busy at Boston General Hospital. He had just come out of surgery and was getting ready for a shower. His wife, Anne, worked for the hospital's Chief of Staff. She was his assistant. Charles was going to meet her for lunch. They would be leaving for New York, there was going to be a conference and Charles thought it would be a good way for him and Anne to get away for a few days. He was worried about Anne; she hadn't been feeling too well, she was after all 8 ½ months pregnant. Charles had tried to talk her out of working, but she insisted. "After all," she had said to him, "I'll be in the hospital if anything should go wrong." But Charles was still worried. Anne meant everything to him. He met her at one of the hospital fund raisers. Talk about love at first sight, he just knew when he saw her eyes. He knew he would never be happy until he made her his wife.  
  
Charles took his shower and headed to the hospital cafeteria. Anne had already had their trays set up. She waved to him when she saw him at the entrance.  
  
"My, you look radiant," Charles said as he kissed her.  
  
"Oh, I think you say that to all the girls." replied Anne.  
  
"Only the ones having my baby," said Charles. "Did you speak to Peg?"  
  
"Yes I did, they should be on their way. She said that she spoke to Sally and we would all meet this evening for dinner."  
  
"Good. I can't believe it's been 3 years since I last saw those 2. I hope they don't start with their practical jokes."  
  
"Charles, if I remember correctly, you were always grand for a good laugh."  
  
"Oh yes, and there were some good ones darling. So what time will we be leaving?" Charles asked as he ate his lunch.  
  
"I think we should leave by 1 PM. James will come with the car and we'll be on our way."  
  
"Are you feeling alright?" Charles asked her.  
  
"Yes I'm just fine. Don't worry about me. I think it'll be lovely to meet your friends. I'm looking forward to it." said Anne.  
  
"You know how much I worry about you." Charles said.  
  
"Well don't, after all I am with the best doctor in Boston General."  
  
"Yes you are, you are indeed." said Charles. "You didn't tell Peg about our surprise did you?"  
  
"No, I can't understand why you wanted to wait until we see them, but I did as you asked and did not say a word."  
  
"I just wanted to surprise them."  
  
"Well I think we'll surprise them alright." said Anne.  
  
Hawkeye and Sally arrived at Penn Station. Sally was tired, while she asked a porter for help with the luggage Hawkeye hailed a cab. They had enough time to get to the Hilton, sign in and take a nap. Sally said she needed to lay down for a bit. Hawkeye knew she should have stayed home, but she wouldn't hear of it. She wanted to take this trip. Hawkeye got the cab and tipped the porter. Sally got into the cab and Hawkeye followed. When they arrived at the Hilton Hawkeye asked if his friends had arrived yet. They hadn't. Hawkeye asked the clerk to please call him when they did. He and Sally made their way to their room. When they got there he ran a hot tub for Sally to sit in, but she didn't want one. Instead she asked him to please rub her feet. If there was anything Hawkeye could do to make her feel good it was the way he rubbed her feet. Sally lay on the bed while Hawkeye sat and started to rub her feet and ankles. She started to fall asleep, once her eyes were shut Hawkeye got up and went into the living room.  
  
He called room service for a bucket of ice and something to drink. He then called the front desk to see if his friends had arrived yet. They hadn't.  
  
Meanwhile just in front of the Hilton a limo came up, the door man opened the door of the car and Charles Emerson Winchester 3rd stepped out, he then turned and helped his wife out of the car. A bell hop helped with their luggage, they had driven non stop and Anne was ready for a nap. Her back hurt and her ankles were swollen. They were given their keys and Charles asked the desk clerk if the others had arrived. The clerk checked and told him that Doctor Pierce and Mrs. Pierce had, their room number was 1115. He and Anne would be staying in the penthouse. They went up to their room and Anne headed for the bed for a nap. Charles picked up the phone and called Hawkeye up. They decided to meet in the lounge.  
  
While Hawkeye and Charles met at in the lounge, a yellow cab arrived in front of the Hilton. B.J got out and helped Peg. She just wanted to sit in a nice bubble bath. They got to their room and B.J told Peg that he was going to go to the lounge to meet with Hawkeye and Charles. He would be back in about an hour and they would go to dinner. Peg was fine with that. All she wanted was to relax for a bit.  
  
B.J walked into the lounge and looked around, he saw his friends sitting at the bar. "Come here often?" B.J asked.  
  
"Hey Beej," said Hawkeye as he hugged B.J.  
  
"Hunnicutt, you haven't changed a bit." said Charles.  
  
"Have you two been waiting long?" asked B.J.  
  
"No, Anne is upstairs taking a nap." said Charles.  
  
"Yeah, so is Sally." said Hawkeye.  
  
"Peg is taking a bubble bath. I told her that I would be back in about an hour and then we would go for dinner, alright with you two?" said B.J.  
  
"Sure." Charles and Hawkeye said together.  
  
"So what's the surprise you guys have?" asked Hawkeye.  
  
"Speaking of surprises, you have one too." said B.J.  
  
"Well I think we better wait for dinner," said Hawkeye. "If I say anything, Sally will have my head."  
  
"So will my wife." said Charles.  
  
"Same here," said B.J. "So Charles, how's Boston General?"  
  
"Busy, what about you? What have you two been up to?"  
  
"Private practice has been busy. It sure is different from the old 4077th." said Hawkeye.  
  
"Same here. Private practice is very different." said B.J.  
  
They chatted for a bit more then decided it was time to go back to their rooms. They decided to meet in the dinning room. They would have dinner and then go to Charles' penthouse suite.  
  
When Hawkeye got back to his room Sally was getting dress. He told her he had been down in the lounge having a drink with the guys. He told her what they had planned and Sally was fine with it. He would shower and they would go down to dinner.  
  
B.J found Peg showering and he too told her of the plans. She too had no problems with it.  
  
Anne was all ready when Charles came into the penthouse. She was looking forward to meeting the others.  
  
The three couples arrived at the dinning room together. When the men saw the wives they couldn't believe their eyes. They were all expecting babies.  
  
"I don't believe it." said B.J.  
  
"Well believe it." said Charles.  
  
"When are you guys due?" asked Hawkeye.  
  
"Another three weeks." they said together.  
  
They were shown to their table. "I can't believe we're all going to be parents at the same time." said Hawkeye.  
  
"Well the second time for Peg and me." said B.J. "You guys have to catch up to us."  
  
"Oh, let's just work on one at a time." said Hawkeye.  
  
They had their dinner and talked about the best of times and the worse of times at the 4077th. After dinner they decided that they would go up to Charles and Anne's penthouse for after dinner drinks. When they got to the penthouse the men went off into one of the many rooms and the women stayed in the living room.  
  
"Hawkeye, I hope you didn't bring any of that hooch you call drink." Sally called out to him. She turned to the other women and said, "Can you believe Hawkeye brought home a bottle of that stuff they called drink from Korea. He had built a still with Trapper John."  
  
"B.J had said something about that to me." said Peg.  
  
"Yes, I remember Charles saying something about hoping Hawkeye saved the 'Hooch,' I just didn't know what he was talking about." Anne said. "Why don't we go out onto the terrace? It's a nice night."  
  
They went out to the terrace but not before Sally caught Hawkeye lighting up cigars. "Hawkeye, sweetheart." said Sally.  
  
"Yes, dear." Hawkeye answered.  
  
"I hope you're not lighting up those stinky cigars." Sally winked at the girls.  
  
"No honey, I'm not lighting them up. Charles is." Hawkeye said.  
  
"Ok, as long as you're not." said Sally. "He promised he would try to stop smoking those things. So we agreed that as long as he didn't light them up he could smoke them. Sometimes he gets his dad to light one up for him." Sally laughed.  
  
"Well that's one way of getting him to cut down." said Peg as they made their way to the terrace.  
  
The women sat around a table drinking their tea. They decided to go for lunch and see a matinee, after the show they would take a carriage ride through Central Park. Peg had never been in New York, let alone a carriage ride. She was looking forward to it. The men would be tied up all day at the conference, after their sight seeing they would all be heading home.  
  
The men were having drinks and smoking the cigars that Hawkeye brought. They talked about the 4077th and wondered how everyone was doing. Hawkeye said that he had heard that Colonel Potter was working at a veteran's hospital and that Klinger was working with him. Klinger had married Soon Lei before they left Korea and she was also expecting their first child. Father Mulcahy was also working at the veteran's hospital as the chaplain. Hawkeye said that he didn't know that Father Mulcahy had hearing problems until he spoke to Colonel Potter. B.J explained what had happened to Father Mulcahy that day when they were getting shelled. Father Mulcahy ran to save the POW's when mortar fell and he hit the ground. The father had made B.J promise not to tell anyone about what had happened to him. This was the first time B.J said anything to anyone. He was glad that Hawkeye knew. Hawkeye explained that Colonel Potter had arranged for Father Mulcahy to get proper hearing aids and Mulcahy was doing just fine. Charles said that he heard from Margaret and she was doing just fine. She met a male nurse at a veteran's hospital in San Francisco. They had been dating for sometime. She seemed happy. She had decided to make the army her career. Tom, her new love, was also a career man. She sounded happy and may be in Boston for the holidays. B.J had heard from Radar. He too had met a young lady and was planning to marry. The young Korean boy that Radar sponsored had worked out great. The young man became a U.S citizen and Radar got help with the family farm that he needed so badly.  
  
The men decided that they would meet in the conference room and have dinner together before going home. The time was getting late and the ladies were getting tired. They told the men the plans they had made; said their goodnights and headed to their rooms.  
  
The next day Anne, Peg and Sally met in the lobby of the hotel. They decided to go to the Russian Tea Room for lunch and then catch the show. After the show they would head up to Central Park for that carriage ride. The day was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze.  
  
The men met in the lobby and headed to the conference room. There was a conference of surgeons meeting and discussing new techniques for different types of surgery. Hawkeye was one of two doctors in Crabapple Cove and he did most of the surgery. The coordinators of the conference decided that they would take a late lunch.  
  
Meanwhile the ladies went to the show and had a good time. They made their way to Central Park and were on a carriage when Sally started to feel strange. When Peg asked her what she felt, she said she wasn't sure just a little pain in her lower back.  
  
"Oh oh!" cried Peg.  
  
"Oh oh is right, oh my God, my water broke!" exclaimed Sally.  
  
"Driver, get us to the nearest hospital quickly!" shouted Anne.  
  
"Hey lady the horse can only go so fast." said the driver.  
  
"Well if he doesn't go a little faster you're going to be delivering a baby in your carriage!" said Peg.  
  
"I hear you lady, come on Betsy got to get this lady to the hospital!" said the driver.  
  
The horse started to trot faster and the driver was able to get them to New York Hospital. They entered the emergency room and Anne got a wheel chair for Sally. Peg told Anne to take care of Sally and she would call the men. A nurse came over to help. They took Sally up to labor and delivery, while another nurse showed Anne and Peg to the waiting room, where they waited for the husbands. The nurse asked Sally how far the contractions were. Sally said that they were about 20 minutes apart. The nurse helped Sally into bed and told her that a doctor would soon be in to see her. Sally told the nurse that she wanted her husband to be allowed into the room since he too was a doctor. The nurse told Sally that that was against the rules, but she would see what she could do.  
  
As Hawkeye entered the waiting room he ran to Peg and Anne and asked what had happened.  
  
"Well we were in the carriage when Sally said 'Oh my God I think my water broke!'" said Anne.  
  
"Sally thought her water broke?" asked Hawkeye.  
  
"Yes, but oh my God I think my water broke!" cried Anne.  
  
"Anne, I heard you the first time!"  
  
"NO! I think my water broke!"  
  
Charles ran to her and got her into a wheel chair. A nurse came in and took them to labor and delivery. Peg was sitting with B.J explaining what had happened when she shouted, "Oh my God my water broke!"  
  
"I know that's what Sally said." Hawkeye said.  
  
"No, no I think my water broke!" Peg said. Another nurse came in and helped Peg to labor and delivery with B.J in tow.  
  
Hawkeye was standing there alone; he went to the desk and asked for Sally. "Dr. Pierce, I think Dr. Jacob will come out to see you." the nurse said.  
  
"Why, is there a problem? Where's my wife?" shouted Hawkeye.  
  
"Dr. Pierce?" said a man as he came into the waiting room.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Jacob?" asked Hawkeye.  
  
They shook hands and Dr. Jacob explained that Sally was having a rough time of it. He was afraid that he would have to perform caesarean. The baby was breech. The doctor told Hawkeye that they were prepping Sally and he was going to scrub. Hawkeye said that he wanted to be there with his wife. The doctor saw no problem, he instructed a nurse to bring Dr. Pierce to his wife.  
  
When Hawkeye got to Sally she was sedated but she knew he was there. He took her hand and held it. He told her he loved her and she squeezed his hand. Hawkeye accompanied Sally into the OR. Dr. Jacob came in and started the caesarean.  
  
"It's a girl," said Dr. Jacob. "Dr. Pierce would you like to hold your daughter?"  
  
There were tears in Hawkeye's eyes. "Yes," he said. As he held her he kissed Sally and then he kissed his daughter. Dr. Jacob closed up and a nurse took the baby so that another doctor could check her and make sure everything was alright. They took Sally to recovery and Hawkeye went back to the waiting room to wait for his friends.  
  
After some time B.J came out and announced that they had a baby boy. He called Erin and told her that she had a baby brother. He and Hawkeye waited for Charles. It was some time before he came out and announced that they had twins, a boy and a girl. This was totally unexpected. The doctor never heard more than one heart beat. They had no idea that they were going to have twins!  
  
"Well Charles, I guess the Winchesters always do it in a big way." said B.J.  
  
"Gentlemen, I think maybe we should see our wives and then go back to my penthouse and drink the rest of that hooch. Lord knows I could use a good drink!" said Charles.  
  
They agreed. They all went to see their wives; they then met at the nursery and took one good night look at their children. B.J hailed a cab and they went back to the Hilton. They would have to arrange to stay a little longer than they had planned. Sally would be in the hospital at least 2 weeks, Peg and Anne at least 1 week. Charles told Hawkeye and B.J not to worry about the hotel room; they could stay in the penthouse as his guests. Hawkeye could have the penthouse until Sally was released from the hospital. B.J and Hawkeye were both grateful. When they returned to the Hilton Hawkeye called his dad and Sally's mom to tell them the news. They decided to name the baby Elizabeth, after Hawkeye's mom. Daniel and Alice were very happy. Daniel told Hawkeye not to worry about his patients; Dr. Robertson would take care of them. Alice asked Hawkeye to tell Sally not to worry about the baby's room; she would set it up. She knew how Sally wanted to set the baby's crib and windows. Hawkeye thanked her. He told them that he would see them in 2 weeks and hung up the phone.  
  
Charles called his family in Boston, his sister, Horonia said that she would take the next train to New York and help with the babies. He was happy.  
  
The men sat in the living room of the penthouse having a drink and smoking cigars. They were all fathers. They had changed, life had changed.  
  
THE END 


End file.
